Pokey LaFarge

Being totally honest, it was the tremendous name that first caught our eye with Mr LaFarge, but when you hear the ragged glories he knocks out on his acoustic six-string you know there’s more than just showbiz glitz to this critter. Like all genii, there a little bit of madness in there too, and when the Missouri Riverfront Times said he sung like ‘a transgendered punk Bessie Smith’ it only told half the story. LaFarge is a sweet singer, sure, but he’s also a dextrous instrumentalist – harmonica, guitar, banjo and kazoo all take a beating – and throws out a timeless sound that could date from any time in the last 80 years. Go be delighted.

Former Hackensaw Boy at the crossroads where Blind Blake, Bessie Smith, Lightnin' Hopkins, Townes Van Zandt intersect. 'Music that sounds as if it emerged through a time machine built in a ragtime scrapyard. A new-deal primitive' (Mojo). www.pokeylafarge.com